Sunday, 28 August 2016

46 is just a number. Dismiss-able.Forgettable. But it is also the
measure of one’s age, that is, my age thus far.

Yesterday, I crossed that line – supposedly one year older or younger
depending on how I see or feel about it. 46 is also a reminder of how far I
have come in my life. 46 years and
counting. The years just adds up whether I like it or not.

And here’s the tally. With a marriage
of 16 years and 3 kids in tow, I can’t say that I have nothing to show. I have been moderately active. It took
me 46 years to come this far – whether for good or bad (hopefully all good that
is).

In these 46 years, I have picked up many road kills along the way. Most of my pickings were of the mistakes
that I have made thus far. Mistakes in
words, deeds and thoughts. Mistakes I should or ought to have known better.
Mistakes of the most unnecessary kind. Mistakes I cringed every time I think
about them.

Not 46 mistakes mind you, but 46 x 46 maybe, or more. But each
mistake polishes me just that tad bit. It sets me straight, forms me right and
molds me whole. Each of them comes with a sharp pinch at the side to remind me
about just how much more I have to go. And trust me, it is a lifelong road ahead.

The journey of life is made up of one learning experience after
another. They come in the most unexpected intervals and they give you no forewarning.
They don’t RSVP you. There is no sign
or hint to discern from.

They come when you’d have thought that there is nothing more to
learn. Oh how wrong I was.

And the learning doesn’t stop. It doesn’t go on my clock. And if I
don’t learn from them, I would have to suffer for it until I learn. Life – like a terrorist negotiator – is a tough
teacher and its terms are non-negotiable – “learn,
or be burnt until you learn”.

And this is where the love of one couple comes in for me. At 46, with
16 years of marital brownie-points
under my belt, no birthday for me would be complete without learning a lesson
or two from a love that endures and thrives for 73 amazing years.

This love is the timeless devotion of one Madam Urmila Nandey (“Umi”)
for her man, SR Nathan.

Many things can be said about our former President. In his eulogy, PM
Lee recounted four to mark his life. First, he was a man who lived fully,
seizing all that life had to offer. Second, he never gave up. Third, he always
did his best for Singapore. And fourth, he had great personal integrity and
commitment.

But one thing that I paid particular attention to (and was deeply
inspired by) is his love for his first, last and most enduring love.

For me, the highlight of PM Lee’s eulogy was this:-

“Quite apart from Mr Nathan’s remarkable career, the central and
brightest thread in his life was his love for Umi. He first set eyes on her in
1942, when she was 13 and he 18. After a courtship of 16 years, braving
parental objections and a two-year separation while Umi studied in UK, they
married in 1958. Their relationship spanned an astonishing 73 years, an
inspiration to us all. SR loved and honored Umi all the days of his life. And she
in turn was his anchor throughout his career, including the 12 years that he
was president, when she supported him with grace, charm and warmth. Mrs Nathan,
thank you.”

Personally, I find it easy to keep up with the relationship of thousands,
even millions. You could be a superstar on the world’s stage with millions of adoring
fans. You could be put on a pedestal with every word and deed of yours emulated
to the minutiae. But to remain faithful to one for a lifetime, and to be receiving
her undying affection in return, is the crowning glory of a man’s life and this
presidential couple undeniably led the way here.

Nothing defines a man’s life more than his first marital oath to his
love before a crowd of public witnesses, and then living by that solemn promise
through all of life’s trials and temptations, and finally coming out of it
shinning even brighter, stronger and longer. That’s the priceless love between
Umi and Nathan.

SR Nathan’s niece once told reporters this: “When he walked into a
crowd, the first thing he did was to look for her.” And “when Mr Nathan went
out for functions without her, he would pack and bring home food for her if it
was something she liked.”

All these decades, Umi stuck by her man and Nathan kept his vows to
her in a way that makes their relationship truly a garden City on a Bukit Timah
hill – so to speak. It is therefore no
secret that Umi was the woman who made Nathan’s “imagination went wild” and right up to his death, he only had eyes
for her. They were practically inseparable – two devoted peas (or loving dhal)
in a marital pod.

In this heartfelt tribute, his friend of four decades, Mr Gopinath
Pillai, said: “My wife and I travelled often with Mr Nathan and his family. On
those trips, we saw a side of Mr Nathan that few outside his family saw. He was
above all a family man. The childhood love between Mr and Mrs Nathan seem to
have only grown with the passage of time. Their marriage is an extraordinary
tale of devotion that inspires us all. The family he created…is a closely-knit
one. Mr Nathan lives on in them as he does in our hearts.”

So, I am back to that number, that double digit, 46. I am older, hopefully
wiser. The years will definitely change things. The one I marry will grow
old with me, our children will leave the nest eventually and start their own
family with children of their own, and the only thing that keeps us together is
love. Not so much romantic or erotic love, or some love chemistry or potion
number 9, but an almost divine alchemy of intimacy and bonding that is forged
by the years of being together, strengthened by our mutual trust and devotion,
and deepened by sacrifices, understanding and hope. As a couple, we are still
learning, discovering, roughing it out, filling the gap, and sometimes groping.

However, it is the love that Umi and Nathan so magically shared that has
taught me to pursue it, and to pursue with unfailing passion (despite all my flaws). The reward of such
love is the reward of a lifetime because it lasts a lifetime.

And here, as I end, I recall a scripture in 1 John 4 that mentioned
something about God is love, and goes on to say that “no one has ever seen God;
but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in
us.” That’s how compelling this love is. It is a love that is made complete in us. A love that embodies
divinity. And a love that is empowered by omnipotence. Cheerz.

When Straits
Times erroneously published on the front news that SR Nathan was "Singapore's first elected and
longest-serving president," the papers was half right. I trust you can
discern which part is inaccurate (because it is really not difficult to get it
right since we have only three elected Presidents since 1993. And if you
exclude the current living president, you are left with just two. The
mathematical order is unmistakably elementary).

Ok, let me spell
it out nevertheless. Ong Teng Cheong was in fact Singapore's first elected president in
1993, the "People's President"
that is. And SR Nathan was the second, the Compassionate President. I guess if
both presidents were alive, they would have squirmed at the error - more so for
SR Nathan since he was once the Chairman of The Straits Times Press.

But of
course, Straits Times have admitted to it and have accordingly apologized to
her readers. Kudos.

However,
this kept me thinking about the two great Presidents. I thought about their
similarities and differences.

Character
wise, both were giants in their own right. Both were handpicked by the
government. Both served with exceptional dedication and commitment. And while
Ong Teng Cheong spearheaded the President's Star Charity, SR Nathan continued
with it with millions donated to help the poor and disadvantaged. They have
indeed made an enduring difference in many lives.

Both served
as public/civil servants with Ong Teng Cheong serving as the second highest
political office in the land, DPM, before he resigned to be Singapore's first
Elected President.

Both had the
trust, admiration and respect of LKY (at least for a time for one). And both
served the people with humility, honor and integrity. The list of distinctions,
of course, can go on, but I think you get the point. Singapore can be proud of
them and we are greatly blessed in return.

Lesson? Here
comes the differences between them - with some trivial (immaterial) and some
less so.

Ong Teng
Cheong was a Colombo Plan scholar and SR Nathan was not a scholar - however, SR
Nathan's grit, dedication and compassion were his sterling and timeless
credentials.

SR Nathan
was awarded the Order of Temasek (First Class) in 2013, but Ong Teng Cheong was
not a recipient of the same. Ong Teng Cheong was elected in 1993, beating
Accountant-General Chua Kim Yeow with 58.7% of the people's votes. However, SR
Nathan was elected in uncontested elections in 1999 and 2005.

SR Nathan,
in 2009, surpassed Benjamin Sheares to become Singapore's longest-serving
President to date. Ong Teng Cheong served only one term till 1999.

Now comes
the less so immaterial ones - for sentimental reasons at least.

Ong Teng
Cheong surprised everyone when he openly criticized the government. During his
presidency, he disclosed a "long list" of obstacles he encountered.
There were "disagreements over accounting principles, the lack of clarity
over the definition of "national reserves" and whether "net
investment income" comprised part of the current or past reserves."
("50 Constitutional moments" - pg 184).

Needless to
say, SM LKY was not pleased. He put on record in Parliament that "by using
the press meeting to "vent his frustrations", the Government was left
"with the unpleasant task of having to rebut him in public."
("50 Constitutional moments" - pg 185).

In another
occasion, in 1986, when Ong Teng Cheong was NTUC Sec-Gen, he sanctioned a
workers' strike against an American company Hydril for better working terms.
This was another move that ruffled many political feathers locally and abroad,
that is, the US.

In a Asiaweek
interview in year 2000, Ong Teng Cheong recalled this about the sanctioned
strike:

“Some of them
were angry with me about that… the minister for trade and industry was very
angry, his officers were upset. They had calls from America, asking what
happened to Singapore?” (FYI: the minister for trade and industry then was Tony Tan).

However, the strike
was a success and this was what Ong Teng Cheong had to say:

“I had the job
to do… [the strike] only lasted two days. All the issues were settled. It
showed the management was just trying to pull a fast one.”

There was in
fact a time when people didn't think Ong Teng Cheong would be an independent
President since he was a DPM before the President Election.

But with
that show of "public defiance",
I guess he was given the unofficial title of being the People's President -
because he has shown to the people that his allegiance has always been with
them and not to any political party or ideology. And neither to any force of
personality.

As for SR
Nathan, in 2009, he approved a withdrawal of $4.9 billion from past reserves to
help the economy at that time of the worst global economic crisis. It took him
less than two weeks to deliberate and decide after considering all relevant
areas of concerns.

So, the
difference between Ong Teng Cheong and SR Nathan when it comes to the
presidency is one of style and approach. The former adopted a “confrontation boxing glove” style while
the latter applied a “low-key velvet
glove” approach.

Another
difference between Ong Teng Cheong and SR Nathan is that one had a state
funeral and the other did not. The best Ong Teng Cheong got was a state assist
funeral.

When asked
by a concerned citizen "how come?",
the PM's press secretary replied with characteristic diplomacy:-

"When
Singaporeans who have made major contributions to the country pass away, it is
right and fitting that they be honoured and mourned by the nation. They may or
may not be former Presidents. The appropriate way to do so will vary with each
individual.

It is not
feasible to have a set formula as to who should receive a state funeral, based
simply on the person’s rank or the appointment that he or she had held. It
depends on the person’s services to the nation, as well as other special
circumstances."

I guess the
last difference between them is that Ong Teng Cheong and SR Nathan shared
different "special circumstances"
and these nuances of judgment are better left to the prudence of the government
to painstakingly enunciate.

So, in my
earnest view, both presidents deserve the highest honor and respect and
Singapore has lost two great sons. Both fought for the people admirably, one
openly confrontational and the other quietly transforming. Both are respected
for their love for the people and their sacrifices. We are infinitely better off
because of their life and contributions.

Sunday, 21 August 2016

I dare not imagine a near perfect
world. A world of intentional living for others. A world of self-sacrifices where
unconditional love reigns. A world where the weak are protected, the old are
respected, women are treated as equals, if not exalted, and the young do not
lack heroes and role models they can look up to.

Such a world would be
wishful thinking. I know that. My
imagination does not fly me that far. My wings are clipped. I am not a head-in-the-sand
optimist.

I am nevertheless a hopeful
realist. And I do sometimes dream of a world a couple of notches down on the
idealism scale. It is a world somewhere in the middle, hovering steadily above
the barbarity and below a certain paradise. It is a world where expectations can
still fall short, disappointments abound, and dreams unrealized at times. It is
a world where new lives are born as old ones expire, and success and failures
are part and parcel.

I harbor no illusions of
perfection and I believe in cause and consequences. Sickness will strike. Happiness
fades. Tears will be shed. Death and taxes assured. And sadness descends. It is no
doubt an imperfect world, but not a savage one.

Yet, however imperfect, I
cannot imagine a world that falls way below the steady middle where babies are
mindlessly murdered and forgotten, young boys are mechanically trained to kill
and disposed, young girls are mercilessly sold to slavery and abused, mothers
are brutally raped in the name of religion, and fathers are cruelly tortured to
death and burnt.

There are indeed limits to
my imagination to dare venture into the realm of perfection, but never am I able
to imagine a world where our protectors become our enemy, our elected leaders
masquerade as our torturer, and our trusted custodians disguised as our
betrayer. It’s a mind-boggling world to say the least.

Alas, it is a world that is no
different from a world of predators where we live for nothing but the hunt, where
we pursue no higher goals than to satisfy our baser instincts, and where we care
for no one else but ourselves. It is a world completely devoid of love, hope
and joy.Does human depravity not hit rock bottom? Is there no evil that is beyond our reach?

The Aleppo boy ("Omran Daqneesh") reminds me of
how perilously close we are to such a world – if we have not already arrived. In Omran's hometown alone, 4500 children had died, and in the past five years of the Syrian civil war, 250,000 people have lost their lives. In the picture, Omran was in a state of utter shock as he was pulled out of the bombed rubble and he shed no tears. He was still coming to terms with the madness. In fact, he appeared more embarrassed and self-conscious than in pain and sorrow. While the bomb had hit his home and family, the reality of the chaos has yet to hit him. Soon it will.

While a perfect world is unattainable,
a savage one where kids have no room for travailing tears but only paralyzed
fears is truly unthinkable. And however unimaginable it is, such a world makes
an absolute mockery of everything we have achieved thus far, that is, the
so-called enlightenment we have attained and the modern civilization we are so
proud of.

So, we can boast of many
things. We can stand tall at the pinnacle of our own inventions, discoveries
and innovations. We can brag to others about how far we have come in our learning and
institutions. However, if we can’t keep our children safe, protect them from
harm and preventable death, provide them with an environment of love and
nurture to grow and mature, set an example in words and deeds for them to
follow, and give them hope of a brighter tomorrow, then all our accomplishments
in this world – be itmaterial, technological, artistic and
architecture - means nothing and amounts to nothing. We would have been no different from the savage animals that we so shamelessly pontificate against. And we would have failed
humanity as a whole right from the start.

Let me end
with the ten commandments for the little Aleppo boy, Omran, (and many war-ravaged
victims like him):-

1) Thou shalt
not forget me (I want to live too).

2) Thou shalt
not make war at my expense.

3) Thou shalt
not hide behind the name of democracy when it is all about
self-preservation and greed.

4) Remember how
thou have taken our parents away, and leaving us defenceless, orphans,
rejected refugees and sold to slavery.

5) Honor thy
words and don't wax lyrical in the international media just to further thine agenda. We don't need your sympathy or pledges. We need your help.

6) Thou shalt
not kill to silence the voices of truth or mute the courage of the few.

9) Thou shalt
not bear grudges and pursue vengeance and forget how many innocent lives like mine have to
suffer just because thou can't resolve thine own differences or thine ego is just too ginormous to man up and take responsibility.

10) Thou shalt not covet
after fame, fortune and power by selling thy humanity or conscience to the highest bidder. Leaders, please grow up soon so that we may have a chance to live.

What do you
get when you cross a man with a ponytail and a mole on his face playing Pokémon
go and a driver honking at him in a mall entrance? Well, if today's papers is
anything to go by, you'll get a heated exchange and a fight.

The police
were called in and both men were handcuffed. They were arrested for the offence
of affray, and if found guilty, they face up to one year or fine $5k, or both.

In
Parliament last week, Pokémon go was singled out and one NMP Rajaram said,
"Again, and increasingly, consumers have to accept responsibility for
playing the game."

Lesson?
(This is a long screed, so pardon me). Here goes.

Forget about
catching spiders. The world is busy hunting down monsters. It used to be
crouching tiger and hidden dragon. Now its chasing monsters and people are
converging at parks, malls, private properties and graveyards to religiously
capture those otherworldly creatures with a nonchalant swipe of their index
finger (the cooler ones use their pinkie; the more aggressive ones, middle).

This hungry
ghost seventh month festival will see the territorial landscape getting more
crowded than usual. Apart from studiously appeasing the ancestral spirits with
food and burnt offerings, the finger warriors are taking to the street to lead
the ghost busting trail on a mad rush to disarm monstrosity.

The one
difference however is that the seventh month lasts for only, well, one month
before the spirits pack up and head down-south. But the Pokémon craze is here
to stay and come this September, the game will be equipped with a blue-tooth-low-energy-wearable-device
for a more personal, futuristic touch.

When the
fictional squealer in Animal Farm declared that "all animals are equal,
but some animals are more equal than others," the same applies to Pokémon
Go in that some monsters are more equal than others.

And the
prize catch of the day is the slumbering snorlax, who is ideal for battle with
its high hit points (whatever that means for an ignoramus like me). The
overbloated somnambulant cat-mouse mutant is very rare and its recent sighting
at Punggol Park caused a Mexican-run of Pokémon Go fans crossing a relatively
busy road with car jamming to a halt and horning with disgust.

Local
businesses are diving into the craze as well and for good profitable reasons. A
dentist admits that he is "releasing lures every day at a location 10m
away from his clinic at The Rail Mall in Upper Bukit Timah since Monday."
The reason? The dentist said, "I am not trying to attract footfall like
the malls. I am just trying to make the wait at my clinic more bearable and
pleasant for my patients."

Mm...I
wonder whether a good book or some quiet reflection while waiting would have a
better medicinal effect?

Nevertheless,
he's right about the malls and footfalls because Resort World Sentosa, Ion
Orchard, City Square Mall, Singtel, Starhub and M1 are all releasing lures on a
grand pandemic scale not so much to attract those furry ethereal animals. No way Hosea. They are merely secondary
target to these companies. They don't increase overall profitability directly.
What these corporate vultures are trying to bait are those hot-blooded,
novelty-seeking social bipedal animals instead. And they are coming in the
busloads with a hunger that is out of this world. The irony here is that humans
are using monsters to bait their own kind.

The reality
is that this Pokémon craze has reached unbelievable proportions and Nintendo
and Niantic are laughing all the way to the bank. It is reported that
Nintendo's market capitalization had more than doubled to hit $42.5 billion
last Tuesday.

Here, the
indulgence vendor Johan Tetzel's jingle that "as soon as the coin in the
coffer rings, the soul from purgatory springs" would equally apply for
Nintendo's bank account with this modern tweak: "As soon as the download
in the phone rings, the monster from one territory springs."

With a craze
this huge, you can rest assured that the society will be divided. The fault
lines are split between those who swear by the game and those who literally
swear at it. There will also be people who play it for recreation and those who
avoid it so as not to ruffle their style, standing and status.

Lastly, some
see it as a game that fosters community, creativity and healthy competition,
and others see it as a perpetuation of satanism, pantheism and polytheism. And
it is reported that "Kedah Fatwa Committee has ruled that the Pokémon Go
game is haram due to its potential to "jeopardise faith" in
Islam."

Monsters
Inc. strikes back I guess.

Here is the
downside to the game. Two enthusiasts actually fell off a 50ft cliff playing
the game. There were also reports of road accidents, robbery, gamers disturbing
the peace and storming into private estate, military installations and churches.
Four teenagers on a monster hunt had recently been rescued from a mine after
getting lost in the complex. And now our first reported (and arrested) mall
fight.

What is most
unfathomable is to have people playing on the site of Auschwitz Memorial. It is
reported that "in one case, a player claimed to have found a Koffing at
the Holocaust Museum. The creature in the game excretes noxious gas, which some
deemed inappropriate due to the use of poison gas during the Holocaust to
murder millions of Jews." Some lines are just not meant to be crossed,
regardless.

Alas, we are
generally attention and sensation seekers. And the convergence of consumerism,
internet and technology have reduced our attention span, heightened our drive
for greater highs, and turned us into short-term pleasure seekers. For this
reason, we are always on the lookout for the next new craze and we can't wait
for one to come before we readily abandon the one before it.

One
professor from NTU commented that "Angry Birds and Candy Crush were
massively popular, but players lost interest and moved on to other games."
Breakdancing, goli (marbles), spinning tops, yo-yo and Kendama have gone that
way. I guess it's just a matter of time for Pokémon Go.

Personally,
I don't prohibit my children from playing Pokémon. In fact, I don't talk much
about it to them. I once asked my son, 14, why he's not playing the game and he
told me this with pretentious toughness, "I've got a life."

Well, life
or otherwise, Pokémon Go and any game of this genre will draw the people and
money in because we are basically thrill-seeking, competitive and social
animals. The catch is that if you build them, they will come. And if you push
the right buttons, they will stay long enough until the next big thing comes
along.

Here I
recall what Eric Hoffer once said, "When people are free to do as they
please, they usually imitate each other." And Pokémon Go is the perfect
mass mobilization social copycat exercise where such unfettered freedom comes
fully alive. Most of us would go to where the action and crowd are. There is
definitely fun to be had when people are engaged in the same activity en masse.
It's an inclusive feeling of identity and community on a large scale.

But let's
hope that the familial and community fun do not mutate into a form of personal
obsession and cause the gamer to escape the real world just to immerse in an
augmented fantasy reality. Or worse, turn players into "monsters"
themselves being triggered by the slightest of agitation like the mall fight.

Because, if
you think about it, at the end of the day, what matters most is not to capture
those pocket monsters. On the contrary, what matters most is to
"capture" the respect, affection and trust of the people we love. And
you just can't do that hiding in a world of imagined monsters

Let me end
with what Stefanie Sun (who recently released her new song "Rainbow Bot")
said regarding her privacy: "Aiyah, I don't keep such a tight lid on my
personal life. I don't hide at home and am everywhere with my family. It's just
that everyone is playing Pokémon Go these days not
Spot-the-singer-with-the-kid." I guess we can always turn a recreation
into an obsession and miss out on the real good stuff in real life.

And as Jesus
told Martha: "But few things are needed--or indeed only one. Mary has
chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

That's about eternity
perspective. The earthly parallel of that is family and loved ones, and Sun has
chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her (on this side of
heaven). Cheerz.

Sunday, 14 August 2016

“This moment is not about me, it’s about my
coaches, my friends, my family…This swim wasn’t for me, it was for my country.”
That’s what Schooling, the Olympic gold medalist, said. His father, Colin, told
him to stun the world before the final, and he did just that.

He united a
nation, changed our sports history, inspired hope, and with modesty, he
demonstrated not just resilience and perseverance, but character. It’s definitely
Schooling’s moment and he and his family deserve it.

The journey has
just started for the 21-year-old with a "face like choirboy, ambition like a
streetfighter.” But it was a journey his family walked with him every step of
the way.

At 6 years old,
in 2001, he was inspired to be like his granduncle, Lloyd Valberg, who was
Singapore’s first ever Olympian in the 1948 Games as a high-jumper. At 13, in
2008, he met his idol Michael Phelps. He then competed in the nationals in
ACS(I) and moved to Bolles School in Florida in 2010 to be trained under one of
the best swimming coaches.

Since 2010, he had
competed in the SEA Games, Commonwealth Games and Incheon Asian games, and
bagged numerous gold medals. The victory trails led him to the summit of the
Olympic glory yesterday when he beat three international superstars (or
pantheon’s gods of the sea) to secure Singapore's first gold.

My mum, 60,
said, “I have got to take care of two households on both sides of the world. It
has been tough. Tough because we are not getting any younger…It is tough on
family life, missing each other. Financially, using up all our reserves and
having to budget like crazy. It has been tough on all of us, but he wants it.”

Altogether, the
realization of the dream costs the Schooling about S$1.35 million. And every
cent of it was well spent.

Now the nation
celebrates. PM Lee said, “The motion will be formal recognition of his
achievements by Parliament.” Schooling is scheduled to return First Class
compliments of SIA and he will make his rounds in an open-top bus in like
fashion as our football dream team winning the Malaysia Cup in 1994.

What’s
more, Singtel, McDonalds, Brands and SPH have all published a full-page Straits
Times’ tribute to our champion flying fish from the humble estates of Bedok.

Lesson?
Let's face it, not all of us can be like Schooling. It’s reality check time. We can admire, emulate, and even idolize
him for a season, but his Olympian journey is a physically, emotionally and
spiritually tough one and he has changed history of competitive sports for this
little garden-city state.

In a historic
moment, Singapore flag stood alone at the top spot with three other national
flags (US, South Africa and Hungary) in a three-way tie.

This was what the
water god Michael Phelps announced after clinching the silver medal yesterday:
“I’ve been able to do everything I’ve ever put my mind to in this sport. And 24
years in the sport. I’m happy with how things finished. I’m ready to retire.
I’m happy about it. I’m in a better state of mind this time than I was four
years ago. And yeah. I’m ready to spend some time with (baby son) Boomer and
(fiancée) Nicole.”

The reality is
that there can only be one Phelps, one Bolt and one Schooling. They are top
athletes who have paid the price, completed the race, and earned their place in
sports history. Their paths, backgrounds and circumstances differ from each of
us.

We can envy,
adore or be inspired by them, but we have to confront our own obstacles, trials
and challenges. Real life for most of us
is not reel life for some of us. We have our own demons to wrestle. And we
must never forget that the greatest privilege in our life is to live up to who we
are, what we can do and what we have set our mind to achieve. It is essentially
about overcoming and prevailing over our current circumstances and be the best
that we can be.

The story of
Phelps, Bolt and Schooling is our story too. It is a story of determination,
faith, vision, raw grit and a never-say-die spirit. These traits or values are
common to all men and women. They are not exclusive only to superstar athletes,
empire builders or national leaders. Heroes were once strugglers who kept the
hope up, the faith within, and the passion going.

You don't need
to win a gold or silver medals to possess or embody these values. No doubt it
is a matter of degree, and Schooling fires up with them, but each of us confronts
our own battles and choose our own fights. In other words, our life is unique
to us and only we can live it, excel in it, and keep the faith about it.

Ultimately,
life's gold medals (so to speak) is all a state of mind. The gold mentality is
a mindset that never gives up. That is what set us apart from the animal world.
That is what makes ordinary folks extraordinary. That is the mind of champions.

You therefore
don't need to be recognized, famous or rich to be considered successful. They
are the frills of success, not her causes or reason. If I have a definition of success,
it would be about living with a sense of purpose, fulfilling it at your own
pace, and being content with each progress made towards it, however small. Character always precedes enduring success.

Neither Phelps
nor Schooling took giant leaps to arrive at where they are today. They took
conscious, measured and oftentimes painful small steps to reach one set goal
after another. In the end, we must not forget that a straight line is made up
of innumerable almost unnoticeable tiny dots that band together in one
direction for unity, visibility and impact. It’s the same with small daily
victories in life that all adds up in the end.

Most of us live
seemingly ordinary life. We may not win medals or attain the same level of fame
as some people we marvel on tv. But living to the fullest is what joins us
together in one common bond. And living to the fullest often takes
extraordinary effort and strength.

For a mother who
raises her children with love unconditional, a husband who loves his wife to
the end, a friend who stands by another in good and bad times, and a father who
sacrifices all for his children, they are all “life's medalists” in their own
rights. They all deserve credit and recognition for leaving a legacy their
loved ones can be proud of. Schooling's parents, coaches and friends are exemplary examples.

I guess the only consolation
prizes in life are reserved for those who wallow in self-pity, indefinitely. They make excuses for
their shortcomings, failures, and mistakes. Blaming
others instead of looking inward for lasting change. The winners however pick
themselves up from wherever they have fallen, kick the dust off their feet, and
move forward with renewed hope and passion. They don’t hide behind excuses. They
are not embittered, or embroiled. They are not waiting to be consoled. They are
just looking to complete the race. To live life to the fullest. We can all do just that. Cheerz.